Power2People Follow Up Report: Smart Thermostats

KEY MESSAGES

• Smart thermostats are a relatively easy to use and implement technology which helps households and enterprises of all sizes improve their energy efficiency. Though offering many benefits, this technology is still relatively unknown in the European market.
• Smart thermostats are an increasingly familiar technology in European households which can help tackle two of Europe’s key energy sector challenges: optimising household energy consumption without reducing user comfort and providing flexibility to the power system by adjusting consumption during peak periods.
• Smart thermostats can provide consumers with an average of 10-15% of energy savings when connected to climate control devices like electric heat pumps or air conditioning units.
• Key barriers to the uptake of smart thermostats include a lack of awareness of the technology, lack of digital literacy, and a lack of properly qualified installers who can set up the system for customers and connect it to climate control appliances to reach the highest benefit for the customer.
• Eurelectric recommends targeted awareness campaigns, state-supported technical assistance programmes for consumers, direct funding programmes for vulnerable consumers and those living in energy poverty, and upskilling programmes to certify existing climate control appliance installers to integrate digital systems.